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Morning Mass honors faith of St. Patrick

Attendees pray during the Mass of the Feast of St. Patrick at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Thursday morning.

Bishop J. Kevin Boland blesses the communion during the Mass of the Feast of St. Patrick at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA on Thursday, March 17, 2011. Photo by: Philip Hall

Bishop J. Kevin Boland recieves the gifts from St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshall Walter Crawford during the Mass of the Feast of St. Patrick at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA on Thursday, March 17, 2011. Photo by: Philip Hall

Members of the Cork Barrack St. Band play during the Mass of the Feast of St. Patrick at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA on Thursday, March 17, 2011. Photo by: Philip Hall

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was near capacity during the Mass of the Feast of St. Patrick Thursday.

St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshall Walter Crawford listens to mass during the Mass of the Feast of St. Patrick at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, GA on Thursday, March 17, 2011. Photo by: Philip Hall

A parishioner, dressed for the parade, prays Thursday morning.

Drums and horns sounded off a reverent, melodic start to the city’s massive St. Patrick’s Day celebration as members of the Cork Barrack Street Band of Ireland opened the St. Patrick’s Day Mass.

The city’s generations-old Irish Catholic community and other guests filled the pews of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist as part of the traditional kick-off to the annual day of celebration.

The homily delivered by the Most Rev. Edwin O’Brien, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, hearkened the ancient story of St. Patrick, known for propagating Christianity across the emerald isle.

“What would the world’s second-largest parade in Patrick’s honor be without the faith which it celebrates? And how empty, sterile would such a day and parade be, however colorful, without what we do here at this altar?” O’Brien said to a sanctuary filled with more than 1,000 participants.

“We must begin with (Patrick’s) absolute fascination with and commitment to Jesus Christ — ‘Christ before me, Christ about me, above me. Christ within and without me.’”

O’Brien used the platform to underline some of the church’s top political points of the day: The abolition of abortion and the support of immigration reform.

He praised the Catholic Diocese of Savannah’s Bishop J. Kevin Boland for a March 15 editorial calling on state representatives to “resist the imposition of harsh and unnecessary legislation” affecting immigrants.

Also in attendance was Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson, Chatham County Commissioner Pete Liakakis and U.S. Army chaplain Fr. Patrick Van Durme, who celebrated the Mass with other clergy at the altar.

Van Durme was accompanied by a row of Catholic soldiers from Hunter Army Airfield.

As usual, attending the Mass were two of Boland’s brothers, Frank Boland and the Most Rev. Raymond J. Boland, bishop emeritus of the Catholic Diocese in Kansas City (Mo.)-St. Joseph.

The Cork Barrack Street Band, a 42-member ensemble from Boland’s native County Cork, was founded in 1837 and is one of the oldest music societies in Ireland.